Graphic Novels

I confess, I’ve never really been into graphic novels, just as I’ve never gotten into superheroes. In my mind those have always been synonymous. However, this week, we’ve been exploring graphic novels and it’s a whole new world and one where I’m delighted to find more.

Fox & Rabbit

The first in a three-part series, Fox & Rabbit is a set of 5 stories of an unlikely pair of animal friends as they have adventures in a fair, a garden, and even a lemonade stand. The stories are heartwarming tales of friendship, forgiveness, and learning to accept each other’s foibles and mistakes. The pictures work well together, with the visual clues from the graphics providing additional information and storyline, such as when Rabbit is sad at not winning anything from the fair. The plots are easy to follow in their simplicity and are tales with which children can easily identify, such as setting up a lemonade stand but no one comes. While each of the 5 tales can be read on their own, they are also part of a narrative throughline and ongoing adventure. The font is large with good contrast to the graphics and the use of simple short sentences makes this book easy to read and a good entry to graphic novels.

Ferry, Beth. 2020. Fox & Rabbit. Illustrated edition. New York: Amulet Books. ISBN: 978-1-4197-4077-0

Hidden

Unable to sleep, the child Elsa encounters her grandmother, also awakened by dreams and memories. She offers to listen to her grandmother, as it helps her to sleep when her mother listens to her. Dounia, the grandmother, tells the tale of her experience in France during the Holocaust and the losses she experienced. Told from the perspective of the child, the graphic novel emphasizes the kindnesses that happened, rather than the extent of the heinous crimes committed. Geared for children K-3, the story is gentle and speaks to protecting children from the horrors while not shying away from some of the experiences.

Drawn with vastly oversized heads, the images have a familiar cartoon-esque nature but can show the facial expressions throughout the story well. The images can be particularly effective when showing the horror of when Elsa’s mother is found from the concentration camps. While the plot of hiding and wishing for home is able to be followed, the larger historical context is missing. By being told from a child’s perspective, it works to tell part of the full story but leaves out the why and the extent of the horrors experienced. The images and coloring convey the story and carry the reader through, matching well with the text and holding attention as a difficult story is revealed.

 

Dauvillier, Loic, and Greg Salsedo. 2014. Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust. Illustrated edition. New York: First Second. ISBN: 978-1-59643-873-6

Borders

A graphic novel adaptation of Thomas King’s short story, Borders is the tale of a boy and his mother leaving from Canada to the United States to visit his sister. At the border, the mother refuses to identify as Canadian or American, instead maintaining her identity and pride as Blackfoot.  Without this declaration, they become caught in the limbo between the two countries as neither will allow them entry. In this space, they find connection to each other and the boy finds a stronger connection to his identity. Eventually, pressure is put on the politics via the news media and the boy and his mother are allowed to pass without compromising their identity and pride.

Told from the perspective of the boy, the story has a narrative line that is easy to follow, despite the complexities of the situation the story tells. Where children might get confused by the political technicalities and why the mother is insistent on her identity, the boy is confused as well, bringing the reader through as he understands better as well. Often with very short sentences or few words, the graphics effectively fill out the story and add further details. The illustrations and text work well together in this way, highlighting the facial expressions through the story and the anxieties of a complex situation.

King, Thomas. 2022. Borders. New York ; Boston: Little, Brown Ink. ISBN: 978-0-316-59305-2